Brazil as an emerging security actor and its relations with the EU by Sarah-Lea John de Sousa
Brazil as an emerging security actor and its relations with the EU
Number 43, March 2009
The EU and Brazil are making joint efforts to promote effective multi-lateralism, in particular in the field
of peace and security recognising the United Nations as the core institution. In this article, Sarah-Lea
John de Sousa discusses Brazil’s current roles and aspirations in international peacekeeping and EUBrazil synergies vis-à-vis security ideology, partnership and practice.
Introduction
In general terms, relations between the European Union and Brazil in the field of international peace and
security are based upon common values and perceptions on security. In this sense, both are applying a
broader security approach, taking into account not only the state but also the people and consequently all
the elements which affect individual security in a broad sense like economic development, employment,
education etc.
Brazil’s relationship with the EU reflects its ambiguous situation: a country situated in between the
developed and the developing world. International and multilateral security are part of the regular
bilateral political dialogue in the context of the EU-Brazil strategic partnership launched in 2007. At the
same time the EU provides some support for the domestic and transnational security problems Brazil and
its citizens are facing, mainly through development-orientated programs aimed at promoting social
cohesion.
This article analyses the specific characteristics of Brazil’s emergence as an international and/or regional
peace and security actor, as well as the main aspects of its relations with the EU.
Brazil in international peacekeeping
In 2004 Brazil for the first time assumed a leading role in international peace promotion accepting the
military leadership of the United Nations Peace Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Since then the country is
contributing to peacekeeping with an increasing number of personnel and financial resources.
Additionally, Brazil’s pro-active role in the international security structure is reflected by its efforts to
promote a reform of the United Nations (UN) System, in particular the inclusion of more Southern
countries, including itself, as permanent members of the UN Security Council.
But although Brazil is an increasingly engaged actor in international peace and security, its military
resources remain rather limited, and its strength seems to lie in a soft security approach, especially
regarding its regional neighbours. The Haitian case apart, Brazil hardly deploys any military personnel
but promotes regional integration, sustainable development and democracy in order to support a stable
and secure regional environment and to prevent conflicts. At the same time, Brazil is facing important
domestic security challenges, such as high levels of urban violence, crime and also transnational
organized crime.
Brazil as a regional and international security actor
Since the end of the military dictatorship in 1985 and the approval of the democratic constitution in 1988,
Brazil is one of the biggest democracies in the world and together with India the most important in the
South and among developing countries. Despite significant domestic constraints, the South American
country is emerging as an important and participative power in the international arena. It is a member of
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Brazil as an emerging security actor and its relations with the EU by Sarah-Lea John de Sousa
the G20 and several other multilateral fora, assuming a hybrid position between the North and the South.
In the field of peace and security, Brazil shares key ideas and values with Europe, such as democratic
governance, respect for human rights and the preference for multilateral dialogue channels and
institutions. At the same time it retains a common historical and cultural heritage with many countries of
the South.
Although Brazil participates actively in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)
and stresses its interest in playing a more influential role in the field of international peace and security, it
still does not represent any more than approximately 1% of the world’s total military expenditure, being
situated 12th in the 2007 SIPRI military capacity ranking of states.1 Within the region however, its
position has much more weight, as it stands for around one third of the total military expenditure of Latin
America.2
During the military dictatorship in the 1980s, Brazil’s military expenditure and defence industry ranked
among the first in the world, but after return to democracy and even more so since the beginning of the
Lula administration,3 military expenditure has decreased significantly. This is mainly due to President
Lula’s preference for social programs and his focus on sustainable socio-economic development. This
situation has long marked an important difference with other emerging powers, in particular China, India
and Russia, whose increasingly important role on the international scene is accompanied by higher
military spending. In the case of Brazil, since the beginning of the present century the military
expenditure represents around 1.5% of gross domestic product (GDP), hence not showing any significant
alterations during the last years.4
Nevertheless, there seems to be a relatively new trend towards a gradual increase of Brazil’s military
capacity. In this context, the already approved reform of the National Defence Strategy5 stresses that the
military industry has to be supported and prioritised in order to facilitate the country’s emergence as a
player in the global security arena. In addition, a technology cooperation agreement has been recently
signed with France to build a nuclear-powered submarine for Brazil and improve Brazil’s military and
defence technology.6
In terms of regional priorities in the field of peace and security, the Brazilian National Defense Strategy
identifies Latin America and the Caribbean as top priorities. A stable neighbourhood is crucial for
Brazil’s own domestic security and development as well as its emergence as a global actor.
Regional Level
South America in particular and Latin America and the Carribbean in general, are regions that show low
levels of violent armed conflict compared to the African Continent and South Asia. Yet there remain
several situations of instability and fragility, high levels of urban violence and crime, as well as
transnational organised crime and in some cases weak democratic institutions.7 Brazil is aware of the
crucial need to promote peace and security as well as sustainable development in its neighbourhood,
taking into account the link between security and development,8 that is also emphasised in EU circles.
1
SIPRI, the 15 major spender countries in 2007, http://www.sipri.org/contents/milap/milex/mex_major_spenders.pdf
Worldbank, http://ddp-ext.worldbank.org/ext/DDPQQ/showReport.do?method=showReport
3
(2002, re-elected in 2006)
4
SIPRI yearbook 2007, Oxford University Press, p.319.
5
Ministério da Defesa (2008), Conselho de Defesa Nacional aprova por unanimidade proposta da Estratégia Nacional de
Defesa, Brasilia, www.defesa.gov.br/imprensa/mostra_materia.php?ID_MATERIA=32662
6
Mercopress, Brasil confirma construcción de submarino nuclear con ayuda francesa, 23 de Diciembre 2008,
http://www.mercopress.info/index.php/brasil/61-politica/417-brasil-confirma-construccion-de-submarino-nuclear-con-ayudafrancesa-.
7
Susanne Gratius (2007), “Brasil en las Américas: ¿Una potencia regional pacificadora?”, Working Paper, FRIDE, pp. 17-23.
8
Ministério de Defesa, “O Ambiente Regional e o Entorno Estratégico”, Estrategia de Defesa,
www.defesa.gov.br/pdn/index.php?page=ambiente_regional
2
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Brazil as an emerging security actor and its relations with the EU by Sarah-Lea John de Sousa
The only case where Brazil is actually involved in hard security issues in military terms, is MINUSTAH.
But Brazil’s involvement reflects its international rather than its regional agenda. A reinforced
engagement in the framework of a UN peace mission is crucial vis-à-vis its aspiration to become a global
security actor and a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Apart from the case of the Haiti, Brazil is more of a “soft security actor” in the region. This is especially
so in South America, given that its focus lies on regional integration, development cooperation, support of
democracy and democratic institutions in its neighbourhood, mediation and conflict prevention, rather
than military interventions. Apart from the Mercado Común del Sur regional trade agreement (Mercosur),
Brazil supports the recently created Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), which aims to
promote regional integration and provides bilateral development cooperation to several smaller South
American countries, for example Bolivia and Paraguay.9 An interesting new initiative has been the launch
of the South American Defence Council in the context of UNASUR, but for now the real impact of this
very recent initiative remains unclear.
International Level
On the international level, Brazil engages in peace and security activities mainly in the framework of the
United Nations. Recently its contribution to UN Peacekeeping Operations has increased to 1218
personnel, such that Brazil now ranks 15th among all contributing countries. But Brazil’s financial support
to the UN still remains relatively insignificant, not even ranking among the top twenty.10
Since the 1990s Brazil has participated in several UN Peacekeeping Operations, contributing almost 300
military personnel to ONUMOZ in Mozambique in 1992, more than 4000 military personnel and almost
50 police as well as some civilian staff in Angola in 1995 (UNAVEM III) and 1997 (MONUA).11 In
2004, Brazil progressed to a greater role in peacekeeping, taking military leadership for the first time with
the MINUSTAH mission, which has continued with two successive Brazilian Force Commanders.
Brazil’s status position between the industrialized North and the developing South in international fora is
an opportunity for benefits to both sides. On the other hand, the EU and other Northern powers place
pressure on Brazil to decide if it wants to be seen as part of the global powers or as an outstanding
developing country promoting the interests and the needs of the South. If Brazil seriously aims to be a
member of the more powerful league, it has to assume the associated costs and responsibilities, including
in the field of peace and security. In the meantime, Brazil has managed to transform its hybrid position
into an added value in international fora and negotiations stressing its good relations with North and
South and therefore its negotiation and mediation capacity between both.12
At the same time, Brazil has important know how in “peacebuilding” due to its domestic experiences in
combatting organized crime, narcotrafficking and urban violence at the national level. Nevertheless,
although violence and crime levels have decreased during the last years, Brazil is still facing serious
challenges.
Domestic challenges
Public insecurity closely linked to a dysfunctional justice sector remain crucial challenges in Brazil.
Transnational organised crime related to narcotrafficking dominates the slums in the margins of cities like
9
Sarah-Lea John de Sousa (2008), “Brasil como nuevo actor del desarrollo internacional, la cooperación Sur-Sur y la iniciativa
IBSA”, Comment, FRIDE, Madrid, p.3.
10
CIC (2008), Annual Review of Global Peace Operations, Center for International Cooperation-New York University, New
York.
11
Clovis Brigagão (2008), “Contribuição Brasileira às Missões de Paz da ONU”, GAPConflitos III, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
and GAPCon, Rio de Janeiro.
12
Sarah-Lea John de Sousa (2008), “Entre o Norte e o Sul: o papel do Brasil no sistema internacional de segurança”, Nueva
Sociedad Especial em Portugues, pp. 123-132, http://www.nuso.org/upload/portugues/2008/DeSousa.pdf
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Brazil as an emerging security actor and its relations with the EU by Sarah-Lea John de Sousa
São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Recife. The police as well as the justice systems are considered to be part
of the problem instead of providing sustainable solutions.
Since the 1980s, criminal rates have increased to an average of more than 1500 crimes per day and 27
homicides a year per 100,000 habitants. Brazil thus sits sixth in a global ranking of the United Nations
Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)13 and is among the most violent countries of the world.14
A significant number of homicides are committed by civil and military police, who participate in
extermination groups and networks of corruption often related to organised crime. Corrupt members of
the police and justice institutions are sustaining the dysfunctionality of the system, and impunity - in
particular in the cases of police violence and torture in the land regions and in prisons - is still an
important problem to be resolved.15
These high rates of violence and crime are perceived as strongly linked to the high levels of inequality
and lack of socio-economic development in rural regions and the marginalized poor districts of the cities.
With President Lula’s administration, amelioration of the human development situation has been
significant and in November 2008 Brazil figured for the first time amongst the list of countries showing
high levels of human development.16 Nevertheless, huge challenges remain in order to overcome
corruption and impunity and better protect the population, in particular regarding the police and justice
system and to overcome the high level of urban violence. In this context, the bilateral relations between
Brazil and the European Union are focussing also on the domestic security challenges that the South
American country is facing. The following section will stress that the Brazil-EU relations in the field of
peace and security are approaching both the domestic situation and Brazil’s position in the international
system.
Brazil and the EU – political dialogue on peace and security
The different international, regional and domestic aspects of Brazil’s security situation are also reflected
in its relations with the European Union (EC and Member States), and there seems to be considerable
potential for enhanced cooperation.
In this sense, the following components are key elements of the bilateral EU-Brazil relations in the field
of peace and security:
(1) The domestic public security challenges (in particular urban violence related to drug
trafficking and transnationally organised crime), are addressed in the (EU) Country Strategy
Paper by promoting social cohesion through development cooperation and bilateral dialogue on
social issues with Brazil.17
(2) Regional and international security issues are addressed in the framework of the political
dialogue18 as part of the EU-Brazil strategic partnership launched in 2007.
Apart from the bilateral dialogue on social issues, Brazil is one of the EC’s partner countries in
Development Cooperation. In order to address the domestic public challenges and in particular urban
violence linked to social exclusion and poverty in the marginalized poor urban “slums” the cooperation
13
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, International Homicide Statistics, http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-andanalysis/IHS-rates-05012009.pdf
14
Julio Jacobo Waiselfisz (2007), “Mapa da violência dos municípios brasileiros”, Organização dos Estados Ibero-Americanos
para a Educação, a Ciência e a Cultura (OEI), Brasilia, p.22.
15
Amnesty International (2008), Brazil-Amnestiy International Report 2008, www.amnesty.org/en/region/brazil/report-2008
16
Human Development Report, Statistical Update 2008,
http://hdrstats.undp.org/2008/countries/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_BRA.html
17
European Commission, Brazil Country Strategy Paper 2007-2013,
http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/brazil/csp/07_13_en.pdf , p.19.
18
Joint Statement EU-Brazil Summit, July 4 2007, Lisbon.
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Brazil as an emerging security actor and its relations with the EU by Sarah-Lea John de Sousa
programmes between Brazil and the EU are focussing on improving the socio-economic situation of the
urban population, as well as the access to education and political decision making.
Brazilian defense policy defines security as a necessary condition for the country to safeguard its
sovereignty and its territorial integrity, as well as its capacity to promote its national interests, exempt
from pressures or threats and the guarantee to citizens to exercise their constitutional rights and
obligations.19 Although this definition is still very state centred, Brazil is gradually introducing a broader
security concept in its foreign and defence policy, focusing in particular on the needs of individuals. This
is underlined, for example, by development cooperation initiatives in Haiti aimed at promoting
development as an important condition for sustainable peace and security.20
Nevertheless, the focus on national security and promotion of defence and military industry stressed in
the National Defense Strategy21, shows that Brazil has no official approach towards human security.
Although the link between socio-economic development and security promotion is stressed on the
national level, in its international security approach Brazil has no clear strategy regarding this point. Its
cooperation with the EU is, as shown above, still very limited and for the moment there is no mention of a
Brazilian cooperation in ESDP missions as a third state. The reasons are that Brazil’s international
security focus is still more regional than global and the EU is not planning any ESDP mission in Latin
America. On the other hand Brazil strongly prioritises the United Nations framework for peace missions
instead of collaborating with regional organizations.22
The recent EU-Brazil summit held on December 22 of 2008 in Rio de Janeiro reflects that security is a
minor issue in bilateral relations, as the summit’s debates focused mainly on finance, economy and trade.
Nevertheless, the EU stresses its support for Brazil’s aspirations to become a permanent member of the
UNSC.23 Although security cooperation is not the priority of EU-Brazil relations, there is a common base
for increasing relations in this field.
Apart from stressing the security-development nexus and adhering to values such as democratic
governance, rule of law, respect for human rights and basic freedoms, the EU and Brazil are making joint
efforts to promote effective multi-lateralism, in particular in the field of peace and security recognising
the United Nations as the core institution.24 Having said this, there is still some space to strengthen the
relations between Brazil and the EU in order promote peace and security internationally and especially in
Latin America as soft security actors.
By Sarah-Lea John de Sousa, FRIDE
19
Política de Defesa Nacional, Decreto Nº 5.484 – 01/07/2005)
https://www.defesa.gov.br/pdn/index.php?page=estado_seguranca_defesa
20
Wladmir Valler Filho (2007), O Brasil e a Crise Haitiana: A Cooperação técnica como instrumento de solidariedade de ação
diplomática, FUNAG, Brasilia, pp.211-219.
22
Mônica Hirst, South American Intervention in Haiti, FRIDE, Madrid, 2007, p.13 and Julia Schünemann, Una aproximación
socialconstructivista a la cooperación interregional y el interregionalismo: las relaciones entre la Unión Europea y el Mercosur,
PhD Thesis, Universidad Complutense, 2008, p. 267-268.
23
Wilhelm Hofmeister, Die Gipfelblase. Brasiliens Gipfeltreffen mit Lateinamerika und der Europäischen Union, Konrad
Adenauer Stiftung, Diciembre, 2008, p. 8.
24
Joint Statement EU-Brazil Summit, July 4 2007, Lisbon.
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